Silver Lake (McLeod County)
McLeod County, Minnesota - DNR stocking history, depth and survey data
Minnesota · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) · DOW 43003400
DNR records show 2 stocking entries at Silver Lake (McLeod County) since 2023, most recently walleye fry in 2025 (443,851 fish).
- Silver Lake (McLeod County) has 2 DNR stocking records across 2 years (2023-2025): walleye (2).
- The most-stocked species by count is walleye: 888,715 fish on record.
- Maximum depth 10 ft, mean depth 8 ft; surface area 453 acres, 445 littoral acres, 4.5 miles of shoreline, per the DNR lake survey.
- Average water clarity (Secchi depth) 2.7 ft.
- Fish species DNR lists here: black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, walleye, yellow perch.
- 1 public access on the DNR list.
- Most recent DNR fish survey: (targeted survey).
- McLeod County, nearest town Silver Lake; DNR lake number (DOW) 43003400.
Depth map
Bathymetric contours from the Minnesota DNR lake survey; depths in feet. Simplified for the web; not for navigation.
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Size | Number | Pounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | fry | 443,851 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | Walleye | fry | 444,864 | 4.2 |
Field note · Minnesota stocks by year, not by truck day: walleye fry go in within weeks of ice-out, fingerlings and yearlings mostly in fall, and stream trout in spring and fall. A row here means the fish went in during that year; DNR adds the year's rows after the fact, so the current year can look empty until winter.
Public accesses
| Type | Owner | Where |
|---|---|---|
| concrete ramp | Minnesota DNR | SW bay on 190th street off highway 7. - Sw bay on 190th street off highway 7. |
DNR fish survey, 2024
| Species | Gear | Catch per net | Total catch | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black bullhead | Standard trap nets | 196.78 | 1,771 | 0.04 |
| Hybrid sunfish | Standard trap nets | 14.00 | 126 | 0.30 |
| Green sunfish | Standard trap nets | 9.56 | 86 | 0.06 |
| Bluegill | Standard trap nets | 8.00 | 72 | 0.28 |
| Black crappie | Standard trap nets | 6.00 | 54 | 0.32 |
| Yellow perch | Standard trap nets | 3.89 | 35 | 0.30 |
| Walleye | Standard trap nets | 1.00 | 9 | 1.56 |
| Largemouth bass | Standard trap nets | 0.11 | 1 | 2.17 |
Catch per net (CPUE) is the DNR survey's count per gill net or trap net set; higher means more of that species were sampled, not a fishing forecast. Top species per gear shown; where we have no verified common name for a DNR code, the code itself is shown.
Silver is a small lake (543 acres) located adjacent of the City of Silver Lake in McLeod County. It has four miles of shoreline, with a maximum depth of eight feet. There is a public boat access with a cement plank ramp at the west end of the lake. A total of two fishing piers are available on the north side of the lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has divided Minnesota's lakes into 44 different classes based on physical and chemical characteristics. Silver is a class 43 lake and other similar waterbodies in the Hutchinson Fisheries Management Area are Swan and Hook Lakes in McLeod County. Silver occasionally suffers partial winterkills of fish during harsh winters. Fish populations can fluctuate widely depending on severity and frequency of winterkill. Milder winters in recent decades, with decreased winterkill frequency and severity, has led to increased boom-and-bust angling opportunities at this lake. Silver was formerly managed as a Walleye rearing pond but was switched to a recreational fishing lake in 2023. Poor Walleye fingerling production had occurred because of a lack of significant winterkills in recent years. Walleye remain the primary management species and fry are stocked every other year. Curlyleaf pondweed can form dense surface mats in May and June at Silver Lake, making boating difficult. A targeted survey (June trap netting) was conducted at Silver Lake on June 17th, 2024, to monitor the fish population. The best option for anglers at Silver Lake are the numerous large panfish. Between Bluegill, Hybrid Sunfish, and Black Crappie there should be enough to keep anglers busy. Black Crappie averaged 8.0 inches in length and had a maximum length of 13.0 inches. Bluegill averaged an impressive 7.1 inches in length and had a maximum length of 8.8 inches. Hybrid Sunfish had a highly desirable average length of 7.3 inches with a maximum length of 9.6 inches. In addition, a solid number of Yellow Perch were sampled. Plus, an impressive 43% of the Yellow Perch catch was 9.5 inches or longer with a maximum length of 11.6 inches. Walleye have always been a main attraction at Silver Lake, but the population may need some more time. While Walleye 8.0 to 25.3 inches in length were sampled; 67% of the catch was less than 10 inches in length. Additional fish species captured in the trap nets included Black Bullhead, Green Sunfish and Largemouth Bass. People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Over harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of…
Minnesota DNR survey narrative, .
All Minnesota stockings · every Minnesota lake with a page · state CSV · this lake on DNR LakeFinder
Stocking rows, depths, accesses and survey figures are Minnesota DNR LakeFinder data as of 2026-09-02; contours are the DNR bathymetric survey. Regulations, slot limits and special rules are on the DNR page linked above, not here.
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